Dr. Hall,
My teeth have fairly dark tetracycline stains. My sister got veneers and they used opaque veneers at the time because the stains would show through a normal translucent veneer. Is this still the case? Have there been any innovations that would make for a more natural looking veneer to cover dark stains?
– Kathryn in Ohio
Dear Kathryn,
The ability to cover tetracycline stains and still make the teeth look natural, that ability has been around for a number of years. The problem is that dentists who do not specialize in cosmetic treatment have still not heard of these techniques.
So if you go to the yellow pages and find a dental office where they claim they do great cosmetic dentistry–porcelain veneers, tooth whitening, and other treatments–you will most likely get veneers that will look pasty and opaque. Another thing dentists do with really dark teeth is that they don’t cover the color very well at the edges, so your teeth look like they have a dark halo. This is also the case if you have Lumineers. Lumineers, because of the way they are made, will not wrap around the teeth at all and will thus leave a dark halo on the edges. They will also look very opaque.
With tetracycline stains, you definitely need the most expert cosmetic dentist you can find. Check our list of Ohio cosmetic dentists. We have a number of them listed, and that’s where I would go for this, if you want a beautiful smile.
Look at the porcelain veneer photos we have displayed on our web site. The case on the top of the page was done by one of our Texas cosmetic dentists, where he covered tetracycline stains with beautiful, natural-looking veneers. That’s the kind of work you want.
Good luck, Dr. Hall.
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About David A. Hall
Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.
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